U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson delivers remarks on the release of the 2016 Annual Report on International Religious Freedom (IRF) at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, August 15, 2017, in the Treaty Room at the U.S. Department of State.

Religious freedom is both a core American value and a fundamental human right. Mandated by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, the IRF Report describes the status of religious freedom in foreign countries and U.S. actions and policies in support of religious freedom worldwide.

Secretary Tillerson’s remarks will be open to the press and streamed live at www.state.gov and Facebook.com/usdos. To be a part of the conversation, please follow: @StateDept, @StateDRL, and #ReligiousFreedom on Twitter.

Preset time for video cameras: 9:45 a.m. from the 23rd Street Entrance Lobby.

Final access time for journalists and still photographers: 10:00 a.m. from the 23rd Street Entrance Lobby.

Media representatives may attend this event upon presentation of one of the following: (1) A U.S. Government-issued identification card (Department of State, White House, Congress, Department of Defense or Foreign Press Center), (2) a media-issued photo identification card, or (3) a letter from their employer on letterhead verifying their employment as a journalist, accompanied by an official photo identification card (driver’s license, passport).

For more information, contact Cory Andrews at andrewsc2@state.gov or 202-647-4311. Please click here for more information.

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External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.

On behalf of the United States of America, congratulations to the people of the Republic of Korea as you celebrate your national day on August 15th.

On the anniversary of your independence, we also congratulate the people of the Republic of Korea on the election of President Moon Jae-in. We reaffirm the ironclad alliance between the United States and the Republic of Korea and honor our strong and historic people-to-people ties. This holiday also marks the bond our nations share in our support for democratic values, as we stand together to advance peace and security.

We look forward to the continued alliance between our nations as we move forward. I send our best wishes to the people of the Republic of Korea as you celebrate this occasion.

The Office of Website Management, Bureau of Public Affairs, manages this site as a portal for information from the U.S. State Department.
External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.

We are saddened and horrified to hear about the brutal murders of seven Syrian Civil Defense Members, more widely known as the White Helmets, in Sarmeen, Idlib.

These cowardly acts of masked men took the lives of civilian volunteers who work tirelessly as first responders in order to save lives in incredibly dangerous environments.

We want to send our condolences to the families of these heroes and hope they are able to seek justice for the loss of their loved ones at the hands of these criminals.‎

The Office of Website Management, Bureau of Public Affairs, manages this site as a portal for information from the U.S. State Department.
External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.

On behalf of the people of the United States, our congratulations to the people of Chad as you celebrate your 57th year of independence on August 11.

The United States commends Chad’s contributions to international peacekeeping operations and Chad’s hosting of Exercise FLINTLOCK 2017. The United States and Chad share a strong bilateral relationship. We are committed to working with Chad on a number of important issues including regional security, protecting refugees and other vulnerable populations, promoting wildlife conservation, and strengthening democracy and human rights. The recent opening of the new U.S. Embassy in N’Djamena underscores our ongoing commitment to working with Chad. The United States looks forward to continuing to strengthen the ties that bind our two countries in coming years.

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The Office of Website Management, Bureau of Public Affairs, manages this site as a portal for information from the U.S. State Department.
External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.

The State Department is publishing today the Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (Final Supplemental EIS) for the proposed Line 67 Expansion. The State Department has prepared the Final Supplemental EIS as part of its review of the Presidential permit application submitted by Enbridge Energy, Limited Partnership (Enbridge).

The Final Supplemental EIS is not a decisional document on whether to approve or deny the Presidential permit. The Final Supplemental EIS is a technical assessment of the potential environmental impacts related to the proposed pipeline.

The Secretary of State (or his delegate), based on Presidentially-delegated authorities under Executive Order 13337, will now conduct a careful review to determine whether issuance of a new permit to Enbridge would be in the national interest. To make this determination, the Secretary of State (or his delegate) considers many factors, including but not limited to, foreign policy; energy security; environmental, cultural and economic impacts; and compliance with applicable law and policy. The Department will also consult with the heads of certain other agencies pursuant to Executive Order 13337.

The Final Supplemental EIS and additional documents are available on the State Department’s website: https://www.state.gov/e/enr/applicant/applicants/index.htm. For further information, please contact Yoon Nam at namys@state.gov.

The Office of Website Management, Bureau of Public Affairs, manages this site as a portal for information from the U.S. State Department.
External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.